THE MIDNIGHT RIDE OF WILLIAM DAWES
For grades 3-6
by Debbie Woods
links by Natalie Bunch
Hi! My name is William Dawes, but you can call me Billy. I lived in Boston in the early 1770’s when the British were trying to take control of the colonies. I was a colonist, and didn’t want anybody taking over my life. So I decided to work for a special Committee of Safety that hired spies to see if the British were getting ready to fight us. On April 15th 1774, a spy noticed that the British warship Somerset had moved to a new location and other British boats were being painted and collected. We figured that the British were getting ready to attack us. Although the spies said that there were a lot more British soldiers than there were colonist fighters, my boss, Dr. Joseph Warren, wasn't scared.
Dr. Warren sent me to Lexington so that I could tell Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the Redcoats were getting ready to fight us. Dr. Warren told me that he was also sending another man who would meet up with me at Lexington. So on the night of Sunday, April 18, 1775, I set off on my horse, Spitfire. It was a beautiful night to ride. The air was cool, the stars were out, the moon was bright, and I was filled with excitement. I felt pretty important since Dr. Warren had chosen me, of all people, to go and warn the big guys in charge. I started daydreaming of how someday I would be in all the history books and others would remember me as a great hero. I saw it in the headings, "William Dawes: The Man Who Saved the World." Whew! What a feeling!
Around 12:30, I snapped out of my daydream and excitingly arrived at Reverend Clark’s parsonage where Hancock and Adams were staying. I was so excited to be the one to break the news to them. When I walked into their conference room, however, someone else had already given them the news. Oh well. So much for the history books!
The man who had arrived before me was Paul Revere. Paul was a short, forty-year old man with a chubby face. We had worked together once before, and had become good buddies. We were both excited for our next assignment together. We were told to ride and tell the people in Concord about the movements of the Redcoats so that they could get ready for war. As we prepared our horses for the ride, we quickly updated each other on our recent adventures. We had so much to tell each other, but didn't have much time to talk. As soon as we mounted our horses, we stopped talking, just in case there were British spies out there.
I had never in my life ridden as fast as I rode that night with Paul Revere. He sure was a fast rider! No wonder he had beaten me to Lexington! As we rode together, I started thinking how important this ride really was. If we didn't make it to Concord, they wouldn't know what was going on with the Redcoats. I had never been so worried and intense before in my life. All of a sudden, I heard someone galloping after us yelling in a deep voice, “HOLD UP!”
“Oh, no!” I thought to myself. “We’re dead. If we dont stop hes gonna shoot us anyways.” I looked over at Paul and he gave me a nod to stop. I slowly turned Spitfire around to face the man. A huge sigh of relief swept over me when I realized he wasn’t a Redcoat. It was Dr. Samuel Prescott, a young medical doctor from Concord who had been visiting his girlfriend in Lexington. He told us that he was quite familiar with the landscape and offered to help us spread the alarm.
So now there were three of us. At this point, I didn’t care about being a hero or being famous. I just wanted to get to Concord alive. My palms were slippery from nervous sweat. As I looked over at Paul, he looked so calm. I wondered how he could be so calm knowing that at any minute a British soldier might pop out and kill us. I wondered how he could be so calm knowing that the future of the colonies was in our hands. As I looked at him, I felt great admiration at his calmness and bravery.
My thoughts were quickly interrupted by a loud tremble of hooves. “Oh no, I thought, this is it. I’m really dead this time.” And sure enough, I was almost right. All of a sudden we were almost completely surrounded by Redcoats. They ordered us to dismount. I looked over at Prescott to see what he was going to do. As quick as lightening, he made a run for it. He headed his horse straight ahead toward a stone wall, leaped over it, and continued on to Concord. I prayed that he would make it there alive. A split second later, I turned Spitfire around and kicked him hard and good to get going as fast as possible. I quickly turned my head and saw two British soldiers that were right on my trail. I thought to myself, “You better be clever Billy, or you’re gonna be dead.” I saw a deserted farmhouse about half a mile away. The barn door was open, so I galloped right into the barn and yelled in a loud thundering voice, “Haloo my boys!! I’ve got two of ‘em!” The Redcoats thought that I was yelling to Minutemen that were hiding out in the barn. The Redcoats were so scared that they turned around and left. Whew! I was safe.
In the meantime, the Redcoats had captured Paul. When they questioned him, he told them that we had alarmed the whole countryside, that the Minutemen had grounded their boats, and that 500 men would be there soon to rescue him. The truth was that there were only about 50 Minutemen at Lexington. The soldiers, not knowing the truth, became scared. They soon heard volleys of gunfire not too far away, got scared, and let Paul loose. When he was released, he quickly went to inform Hancock and Adams of what had happened. They figured that more Redcoats would be coming soon and decided to move out of Lexington and prepare the troops. As Paul was crossing town to retrieve Hancock’s trunk containing important papers, he heard gun shots. Not only was this gun shot the beginning of the Battle of Lexington, but it was also what many believe to be the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
So what happened to Prescott and me? Prescott made it to Concord and was able to warn the people there of the Redcoats' actions. I eventually made it back to Lexington and helped fight in the Revolutionary War. Some people wonder why Paul Revere became so famous and I didn’t. But you know what? It really didn't matter. I was busy fighting for freedom and didnt care if people knew who I was. We were people fighting together, not individuals trying to become famous. So, when you hear of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, dont think of me and dont think of Paul. Instead, think of freedom.
My great-great-great-great-Uncle was William Dawes. Although this is a true story, some details have been added at the author's discretion.
Review Questions
- Who was William Dawe's boss?
- Who did William meet up with in Lexington?
- What did William think about when he was riding?
- Why do you think a poem was written named "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere"
instead of "The Midnight Ride of William Dawes"?
5. Which character would you want to be? Why?
6. What might have happened if Paul Revere had not made it back to Lexington?
The Midnight Ride of William Dawes
by Debbie Woods
I. Introduction
A. Name is William Dawes
B. Time is the 1770's
C. Place is Boston
II. Dawe's Job
A. Works for Special Committee of Safety (colonists)
B. His boss was Dr. Joseph Warren
III. The Ride to Lexington
A. Evening time
B. Purpose was to tell Adams and Hancock that the Redcoats were getting ready to fight
C. Daydreaming of being famous
IV. Arrival at Lexington
A. Reverend Clark's parsonage
B. Paul Revere beat him there by half an hour
V. The Ride to Concord with Paul Revere
A. Got horses ready and updated each other
B. Worried about getting there alive
C. Meeting Dr. Samuel Prescott
VI. The British Confrontation
A. Prescott got away to Concord
B. William made it to a barn and got rid of the Redcoats
C. Revere got captured
VII. Release of Revere
A. Lied to the soldiers
B. Soldiers became scared and let him go
C. Helped Hancock and Adams prepare to leave
D. Heard a shot
E. Beginning of the Revolutionary War
VIII. Conclusion
A. Prescott made it to Concord
B. Dawes faught in the war
C. Fame is not important
PROPS
Map of colonial Boston, wigs or soldier costumes of the 1770's, brooms (as horses)
Answers to Review Questions
- Dr. Joseph Warren
- Paul Revere
- Any of these answers are acceptable: becoming famous, getting killed, worrying
about what would happen if they didn't make it to Concord, how much he admired
Paul Revere; how he was going to get away from the Redcoats
4. Answers will vary
5. Answers will vary
6. Answers will vary
Sources:
My mother's and my own knowledge, and information found at these web sites:
- http://www.colorpro.com/wmdawes/theride.html
- http://www.tiac.net/users/eldred/pr/PAUL.htm
- http://www.eusd.stan-co.k12.ca.us/empire/lwilloug/page16.htm
- http://www.cedarville.edu/dept/ed/story/rwpaul.htm